The provisional deal includes both the A350-900 and the larger A350-1000 models, and the aircraft will be delivered between 2026 and 2030. It is estimated to be worth several billion dollars. — Reuters
PARIS: Air France-KLM says it plans to order 50 Airbus A350 long-haul jets, together with purchase rights for an additional 40, in its largest-ever wide-body purchase as the Franco-Dutch group revamps its long-haul fleet.
The provisional deal includes both the A350-900 and the larger A350-1000 models, and the aircraft will be delivered between 2026 and 2030. It is estimated to be worth several billion dollars.
It follows a tight contest between Airbus and Boeing, supported by engine makers, as the airline’s fleet planners juggled range, size and cost to find replacements for Airbus A330 jets and most of the group’s older Boeing 777s.
The Air Current, an industry publication, reported earlier this month that the airline was closing in on an order for 50 wide-body jets and that one factor was the range involved in skirting Russian airspace amid ongoing Ukraine war sanctions.
“We are taking the assumption that the ban on Russian overflights is with us for at least the mid-term,” chief executive officer Ben Smith told reporters.
Smith said the A350 had won on either range or size compared with their 787 equivalents given the specific shape of the post-Ukraine network, while the larger Boeing 777X had yet to be certified and would not be available in the time required.
He said Air France-KLM would look at the 400-seat twin-engined jumbo to replace its Boeing 777-300ER long-haul jets, which would continue to fly through this decade.
Asked about widespread production delays, Smith said Air France-KLM had considered splitting the order between Airbus and Boeing but had benefited from competitive prices by sticking to one supplier and would still have a diversified fleet.
Shares in the group earlier closed down 3.7% amid weaker travel stocks.
Air France-KLM, the product of a 2004 merger between French and Dutch national carriers, said the deal would give it flexibility to allocate aircraft among its brands based on market or regulatory conditions. — Reuters
